FL1 Sudden total brake failure

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landyhaze

Active Member
Posts
107
Location
Cambridge UK
While driving to work this morning, I went to use the brakes about 5 miles into my Journey, and the pedal went right to the floor. Total brake failure, no warning. Luckily I managed to stop using the handbrake, and luckily I was wearing dark brown trousers. Now I have a little red exclamation mark light on the dash. I think someone at LR didn't do the FMEA on the master cylinder properly. The FL1 is on the naughty step - anyone else had this happen?

-Hazel
 
It's low on brake fluid. You have a bad leak. Probably from a pipe fracturing. You need to get the solid pipes checked, replaced. Look where they are routed down the bulkhead, just as they turn under the floor. There's a plastic clip holding them to the body. This is a bad point where the can pipes rust unseen. They get wet at this point and clip keeps them from drying out.

The other rust point is at the back where the pipe goes to the rear wheel cylinder.
 
Hi Nodge,
Well, the light only came on after the scary moment, and I had all the brake lines replaced last year. I think you are on the right track though, since if I pump the brake pedal a lot and suddenly press it to the floor, there is a tiny, tiny bit of brake action right at the very bottom, which seems to pull the vehicle to the right. I always thought dual circuit brakes were supposed to still work if a single pipe fractures? I guess not with the FL1.
 
Duel circuit brakes are more effective than single circuit brakes if there is a leak. However the brake pedal will still go to the floor in the event of rapid fluid loss. It does sound like a pipe failure. Maybe one of the new pipes has cracked?
You're out of brake fluid though, so it's gone somewhere.
 
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Also, check a rear wheel cylinder hasnt failed - failed seals....shoes come adrift and piston popped out etc. There will be fluid down the rear of the backplate and dripping onto the wheel and tyre if so.
 
This hasn't been reported for a while, but a couple of years ago there were a couple of people reporting sudden total brake failure. I seem to remember someone was piling down a motorway in France - went to brake for a toll booth and nothing!

These instances were a failure in the rear brakes. IIRC all it was was the silly little locator pin rusting out and taking all the brakes with it. I'll see if I can find the threads.
 
Had brake failure twice, once was a front to rear brake pipe at the rear flexi hose and once was a wheel cylinder. In both cases the pedal went to the floor, but the dual circuit brakes did stop the Freelander, but felt like it took 3 times the distance to stop
 
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